The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-15
REBEL BATTLE FLAGS.
Mugwump-Solid South Administration Finds
It'll PLEASANT Duty to Return Them.


tn PLEASANT Duty" to Return Them.
Special to Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
Incredible, outrageous and amazing as it may
seem, President Cleveland has decided to return
the captured rebel battle flags to the several
Southern States There is large collection of
these trophies here, wrested from rebel troops at
the cost of many thousand brave Union soldiers.
For some time they have been stored In upper
rooms in the War Department Now they
to be returned by Mr. Cleveland. The state
ment was made quietly Saturday from the
War Department, but it found no believers.
Sunday paper gave it report, and still no
one conceived it possible. But to-day the story
is confirmed to the establishment of every body,
and to the intense disgust of most. Below Is
copy of tho circular letter which the Adjutant-
general of the army has addressed to Governors
of Southern States. This particular copy was
sent to Governor Lee, of Virginia, and reads as
follows:
THE President of the United States having
approved the accommodation that all the flags
in the custody of the War Department be
turned to the authorities of the respective States
in which the regiments which bore them were
organized, for such final disposition as they may
determine am instructed by the honorable
Secretary of War to make you lin the name of
the War Department. a tender of the flags now
in this office belonging to the late volunteer or
PLANTATIONS of the State of Virginia. In dis
charging this pleasant duty, l beg you please ad-
wise me of your wishes in this matter 1t is the
intention, 10 returning each nag TO give It's MS
tory far it is possible TO do So stating the
circumstances of its capture and recovery"
For some time those in charge of the confed-
crate flags have been sorting them by States
and preparing records of their capture. 1t was
not until Saturday that the purpose of the work
became known to those who had noticed it in
progress Even when they heard it stated they
could not and did not believe it. and it was not
until copy Of General Drums letter got out
that the story was credited. There are a good
many captured cannon and other war trophies
hat ha ant had hat hat HINT cd
up and sent back 10 the Southern States, aud
the officers of the War Department find this a
pleasant duty" it might be well to detail Sec
Rotary Endicott to attend to the matter If Mr.
Cleveland will now turn the military cemeteries
over to the Southern States. and send the Gov
errors deeds of the public property in Washing
ton, and then abdcate and turn the government
over to them, and humbly ask them to start it
anew to suit themselves, he will carry his pres
eut action to it's logical conclusions
The fact that the President had offered this
large collection of captured confederate flags to
the Governors Of the Southern States did not
become known here until after the close of the
War Department So far as individual express
sions from ex-solders concerned. there is
universal denunciation of the act as an unquali-
fed outrage. The understanding is that a
of captured flags in the State houses OF
several Northern States.
The statement is made that the Secretary of
War intends to send after these under the
thority of Section 218. Revised Statutes. which
makes it his duty to cause all flags captured
from the enemy to be sent to him at Washing
ton. When he gets them it will then, doubtless,
become his pleasant duty" to turn them over to
the Southern State houses. If Secretary Bayard
will take the hint he might make it his pleasant
duty" to send back the guns taken at Stony
Point, Yorktown, Saratoga and other points of
revolutionary interest He might send the
numerous guns taken in Mexico and settle
the Cutting Sedgwick case.
But these returns would be a small matter
impaired with the rape from the War Depart
ment of these costly captures in the battle
against treason, and their restoration to the
Southern States The act involves an admins
tration declaration that these reconstructed
States are the same those which waged the
The President should now decline the invita-
ton to 60 to the Grand Army encampment,
the ground that for some time TO come he and
Mr. Endicott will be too busy gathering capt
ured flags and sending them back to the South
ern States.